7/29/2019 Key to Ielts Writing Test on 4th, Feb, 2012

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It is believed that the young should respect the traditional value while others

think that they should live in their own way. Discuss

Word count: 514

Written by: Pham Thi Le Na

Timing: 15 minutes

The youngsters are often supposed to be free from the constraints of old values

and encouraged to lead their own way to success and life. However, opponents

believe that the maintenance of the traditional value is crucial to the survival of a

nation and the education of the young amidst the rapid-changing world. My essay

will discuss both sides of this controversial issue.

First, it is claimed that the idea of adhering to the traditional rituals or values may

have negative influence on the youngs feeling. Being constrained from their free

style and imaginative thinking, the young can find their lives at the mercy of

suffering rather than true enjoyment. Psychologically speaking, it is far from easy

for the young to feel at ease under the rigorous rule of adults and their dogma,

especially when they are reaching the age of rebellion and tend to be more

affected by peer pressure. However, amidst the seas of social changes with the

merging of both oriental and western ideas, can the young easily orientate their

behavior and life? Occasionally, there are several youngsters being confused with

the modern hedonistic lifestyle of over-indulgent western countries and diverting

their lives out of their control. The higher rate of divorces and cohabitation cases

are typical of harmful influence of letting the young be away from the core value

about family of the tradition.

7/29/2019 Key to Ielts Writing Test on 4th, Feb, 2012

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Second, the prevention of the young from their own formation of lifestyle and

ideas shows the lack of democracy in general. A so-called developed society

should be the one to respect the voice of the juniors who, despite being believed

to be immature, are the ones to come up with other moral, novel and

breakthrough notions as well. Perhaps, these ideas possibly add deeper

understandings, reveal the weaknesses of the old values and provide human

more reasonable answers to old riddles. With the encouragement of leading their

own lives, they, too, are motivated to enrich their knowledge and given favorable

condition to nurture their creativity. Nevertheless, if the young are so concerned

with the traditional value for long, they will be less willing to appreciate the past

and see their patriotism erode over time. Living in times of globalization where

different ideas and cultures are intersecting, somehow, uncontrollably, the

youngsters should be imbedded with the established quintessence of ancestors to

promote their culture and be proud of it. The respect for the yesterdays value is

also a must for them to keep themselves in harmony with other senior in the

society. Imagine how could the effectiveness of the work environment be

maximized if the old, despite their wealth and experience, are despised by the

young through their quite traditional style of working and living?

In other words, there are both pros and cons in allowing the youngsters to choose

their own way of living, and hopefully, both the senior and junior can still work

along with each other by appreciating their unique differences